


The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

by BambiRex



Series: Garden Lodge Family Shenanigans [10]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, christmas at garden lodge, fem!queen, garden lodge family shenanigans, king!au, most relationships are in the background but i wanted to tag them just in case, the focus is on jimercury, we're just being cute here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:33:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28215531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BambiRex/pseuds/BambiRex
Summary: Christmas at Garden Lodge.
Relationships: Anita Dobson/Brian May, David Furnish/Elton John, Dominique Beyrand/Roger Taylor, Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury, Joe Fanelli/Peter "Phoebe" Freestone, John Deacon/Veronica Tetzlaff, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Garden Lodge Family Shenanigans [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767487
Comments: 12
Kudos: 12





	The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

**Author's Note:**

> Look, I'm not dead!! I'm on sort of a hiatus now because of exams and holidays, but I took a little break, because I couldn't not post something Christmassy, so have at that indulgent family fluff! Happy holidays, everyone! :)))

Having two kids certainly never took away the child-like happiness Freddie felt around every Christmas; even when times were tough, when things seemed a little hopeless, Christmas could bring some light back into the dark. It was a holiday of love and joy, of family and friends- and Freddie had all of that; as the years passed by, she just received even more. There was a lot to be grateful for, a lot to be happy about- and no bitter comments about Christmas being an empty show for profit could ruin her good mood. She adored Christmas when she was a kid, and that never changed- if anything, she just fell in love with it even more.

It was hard to tell who was more excited, Freddie or her kids, who started out the day practically bouncing on top of their parents’ heads, shrieking in delight.

‘’Tonight’s Christmas Eve!” Layla announced excitedly, kneeling Jane in the stomach as she jumped on her. Jane let out a groan, eyes immediately snapping open. Freddie hid her giggles behind her hand.

‘’Right, it’s tonight.” Jane yawned, pulling Layla down to lay between them while Gabriel wrapped his arms around Freddie’s neck, holding on so tight it was a wonder she didn’t suffocate. ‘’But it’s,” she checked the digital clock on the bedside, ‘’seven in the morning.” She sighed deeply. ‘’Which means we can sleep in…”

‘’No!” Gabriel exclaimed, yelling straight into Freddie’s ear. ‘’This is an important day, Mama!”

‘’Gabriel is right, we can’t sleep in for too long!” Layla huffed, wagging her finger in front of Jane’s face. Freddie couldn’t stop grinning.

‘’I guess we should get out of bed. Children’s decree.” Freddie chuckled, gently prying Gabriel’s arms off her neck. ‘’Why don’t you go and wake your Aunts? They’re gonna make you a nice Christmas breakfast.”

The children’s eyes lit up, and they shot off the bed like a pair of little rockets, dashing out of the room. Jane laughed, playfully bopping Freddie on the nose.

‘’You’re cruel.”

Freddie shrugged, laying her head back on Jane’s chest. She sighed happily as she felt the strong beating of her wife’s heart beneath her cheek.

‘’If we must suffer, Phoebe and Jenny should, too.”

Jane shook her head with a fond smile, carding her fingers through Freddie’s hair. ‘’Just admit it, you’re about as excited as the kids.”

‘’Guilty as charged, darling.” Freddie smiled. She looked up at Jane, smirking. ‘’Very excited, in fact.” She leaned up to nuzzle Jane’s neck, grinning in triumph when she shivered.

‘’How about we start this precious day off with our favorite activity?”

Grinning widely, Jane rolled them over until she was on top of Freddie, looking down at her with dark eyes. ‘’I sure hope the Aunties will keep the kids busy.”

Freddie just giggled, pulling Jane down into a deep kiss.

\--

‘’Can we help in the kitchen?” Gabriel asked with huge, pleading eyes. He re-doubled his adorable efforts by hugging Phoebe’s legs tightly. ‘’Please, Aunt Phoebe.”

That was sure going to be calling for a disaster, and truth be told, Phoebe was a little peckish about the state of the kitchen- but she could never resist when the children were being particularly adorable.

‘’Well, I guess a little help wouldn’t hurt.” She glanced at Jenny for confirmation who nodded with a smile.

‘’Sure thing. But if we tell you not to touch something- like something that could burn or cut you, you will listen, right?” Jenny asked, ruffling Layla’s hair lovingly. The little girl nodded, crossing her heart.

Freddie and Jane appeared in the kitchen, hand in hand. They both looked delightfully disheveled, and Phoebe rolled her eyes at them fondly.

‘’Good morning, ladies!” Freddie greeted them cheerfully, still high on the great start of her day. ‘’What’s on the menu today?”

‘’What’s not?” Jenny teased. ‘’We have to cater to your and your friends’ ridiculous needs.”

‘’I’m sure everything will be lovely.” Jane assured them. A few of the ingredients were already prepared for the cooking, laid out on the kitchen counter neatly. ‘’Just let us know if you need any help, alright?”

‘’Oh, we already have help.” Phoebe cooed, hoisting Gabriel up in her arms and hugging him close. ‘’Two cute little elves.”

‘’Be good for your Aunts, alright?” Freddie smiled at them. Both Gabriel and Layla nodded hastily, eyes shining in excitement. 

‘’We will be in the living room with Mama, decorating the tree. Call out for us if you need us.”

‘’Because you could be so much help in the kitchen.” Jenny grinned. She expertly ducked out of the way of the washcloth Freddie threw at her. 

‘’It’s all gonna be fine, you can trust us.” Layla sounded deadly serious, eyebrows furrowed in determination. ‘’We’re gonna make this the best Christmas ever!”

Jane smiled at her warmly, pinching her daughter’s cheek. ‘’I have no doubt about that.”

\--

If Freddie had to pick her favorite part of Christmas, she would be torn between giving her presents to her loved ones and seeing the joy on their faces, or decorating the tree. There was something about the latter, especially, that made her feel like she was floating on happiness as she picked out the best baubles, carefully color-coding everything. It was the mix of innocent child and meticulous artist that burst to the surface in those moments.

She was sure she must have looked like an idiot as she couldn’t stop grinning while she hung up the various decorations, every single shiny ornament making her chest tingle with more warmth. They decided to deck the tree out in every color of the rainbow to represent their colorful little family (while making sure the colors still matched just right; Freddie was a perfectionist, after all), putting the beautifully handcrafted ornaments on the branches.

Freddie felt eyes on her, and she turned around with a questioning look. She blushed softly when she caught Jane’s eyes, and her beautiful, dimpled smile.

‘’What is it?” She asked, and Jane’s smile widened. She reached out and pulled Freddie closer to her, wrapping her arms around her waist.

‘’I’m just looking at you.” Jane mused, pressing their foreheads together. ‘’You’re such a joy to watch. You look so happy.”

‘’I am.” Freddie admitted with a smile, melting into Jane’s embrace. She gently pecked her on the lips. ‘’You know how much I love Christmas.”

‘’I do.” Jane replied, bringing Freddie’s hand to her lips and kissing her knuckles, a soft little gesture none of them could ever get tired of. ‘’Me too. And I love it even more, knowing how happy it makes my beautiful wife and my amazing children.”

Freddie hid her face in Jane’s neck to hide the sentimental tears that suddenly sprung into her eyes. Lord, she must be getting old if Jane saying lovely thing could make her so sappy- but then again, she was a sensitive soul, and she used to think of this as a character flaw, but now she realized it was an integral, and great part of her personality. She loved with all her heart, and the smallest things could make her happy- what was the shame in that?

So, she pulled back instead, allowing Jane to see her unabashed happiness. Her wife knew her so well; she knew Freddie wasn’t crying from sadness, but from joy. She wiped off her tears with a smile, before kissing her on the forehead.

‘’Shall we continue the decorating, Kitten?”

Freddie nodded, grabbing a red tinsel. She wrapped it around Jane’s neck with a cheeky grin, using it to pull her into a kiss.

‘’I meant decorating the tree, not me.” Jane laughed, but she couldn’t resist kissing Freddie again.

They made sure not to leave a single branch bare. Jane was always astonished by Freddie’s ability to tread the fine line between colorful and cheap taste- she knew just how many ornaments to put up to make the tree beautiful, but not too crowded.

There was a bit of a struggle with the fairy lights, as always- the cords got tangled up together in a horrible mess, and it took them several, long minutes to untangle them again. Their efforts were worth it, because the golden lights looked breathtakingly beautiful wrapped around the tree.

‘’Time to put the star on top.” Jane announced, not even waiting for Freddie’s reply before grabbing and lifting her, making her squeal.

‘’Lord, darling, you’re so strong.” Freddie cooed, a little breathless. Jane just grinned- Freddie wasn’t as skinny after she gave birth, but she still barely weighed anything to Jane. She was more than happy to pick her up and hold her in her arms forever.

Freddie placed the star on top with a satisfied grin. It fit perfectly, and she received the absolute joy of being picked up by her strong butch wife- what else did she need?

\--

As it turned out, Layla and Gabriel weren’t such hazards in the kitchen. They were naughty, like a lot of kids their age, but if they put their minds to something- and if they knew the matter was serious-, they worked like little angels.

They listened to their Aunts, and kept themselves away from the sharp knives and the oven. They watched with awestruck expressions as they handled the tougher parts of cooking, and grinned proudly when they were handed the next, smaller tasks.

‘’Don’t grip it too hard, because then it will splash everywhere.” Jenny explained patiently. She had Gabriel on her lap, holding the piping bag in his hand with an extremely focused look on his face. Jenny helped him position his hands just right, so he wouldn’t accidentally break the bag. She placed her fingers on the little boy’s and applied gentle pressure, showing him how to do it. ‘’See? You shouldn’t squeeze it harder than that.”

Gabriel nodded, following the instructions. He squeezed out a small dollop of icing, and Jenny grinned proudly.

‘’Yeah, just like that! Now you can draw with it, like you’re using a pencil or a crayon.”

‘’I’m gonna draw a smiley face!” Gabriel announced happily. Why a smiley face was the most fitting decoration for a gingerbread cookie that was shaped like a Christmas tree, Jenny didn’t know, but she let the little boy indulge.

While Gabriel decorated the cookies to his heart’s content, Jenny allowed herself a glance at Phoebe and Layla. She smiled when she saw Layla dusting a snippet of salt into a pot, looking as pleased with herself as if she was a gourmet chef herself.

‘’You know, that’s your Mummy’s favorite meal.” Phoebe explained. She stirred it with a wooden spoon, and Layla watched her every move with unmasked excitement.

‘’Will she like it? Now that I helped with it?” Layla asked, a little self-conscious. Phoebe nodded with a genuine smile.

‘’I think she’s gonna love it even more now, because your hand was in the process.”

Layla cheered. Phoebe allowed her to throw some more spices into the stew, keeping a careful eye on her hand to make sure she wouldn’t end up poisoning them by accident.

The meals and the desserts were coming along rather nicely. Admittedly, Layla and Gabriel slowed down the process a little bit here and there, as they had to be taught the steps and sometimes they couldn’t resist throwing raw cookie dough at each other, but it was a lot of fun in the end.

‘’I already had a child in the kitchen, huh?” Phoebe laughed when Jenny sneaked up behind her and slapped her ass, making sure to leave a floury handprint. Jenny just shrugged, standing on the tips of her toes to kiss her on the cheek.

Either way, they were about to have a wonderful Christmas dinner.

\--

Keeping the cats away from destroying the tree was never an easy task- and while Jane loved every single one of their furry babies, she sometimes wished they could be hypnotized into behaving. Tiffany and Oscar watched the huge pine with only mild interest, but Goliath and Delilah kept swirling around the trunk, ready to attack.

‘’This is a war every year.” Freddie laughed, scooping Delilah up and kissing the top of her head. The spoiled cat purred, but her eyes remained firmly on the tree.

‘’But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

‘’I guess.” Jane chuckled, gently pulling Goliath away when he started pawing at a swan-shaped ornament, Freddie’s personal favorite. 

‘’If we fill their stocking, it might distract them from…”

‘’The stockings!” Freddie squealed, causing a sneaky Miko to halt midway, laying flat on the floor before the tree. ‘’I forgot to fill their stockings!”

‘’I’ll do it.” Jane assured her, pressing a placating kiss onto her cheek. ‘’You just keep them from ruining your lovely decorations.”

This was an adorable habit of Freddie’s, to give presents to the cats, filling their customized stockings with little goods. As soon as Jane started fiddling with them, the cats abandoned the tree, excitedly watching the process.

‘’You can only unwrap your presents, if you’re being good.” Jane joked. Lily gave her a look that told her she was going to get those presents, whether her human mothers like it or not. 

‘’Freddie was right, we should have gotten you little Santa hats.” Jane mused, leaning down to caress Romeo’s head. Maybe for next Christmas.

When she walked back to the living room, she found Freddie standing with her hands behind her back, smirking.

‘’What?” Jane chuckled, trying to see behind her. Freddie just grinned wider, a teasing glint in her eyes.

‘’There’s a lovely Christmas tradition,” she started, giggling, ‘’and I’m sure you love it just as much as I do.”

Before Jane could question what she was talking about, she pulled a mistletoe from behind her back, holding it over their heads with a wide grin.

‘’We have to kiss under the mistletoe!”

Jane laughed, shaking her head. She didn’t have the heart to tell Freddie they were supposed to hang that up. Instead, she leaned in and pressed their lips together, tasting the happiness on Freddie’s lips.

‘’Let’s check on the kids, shall we?” She asked after they parted. ‘’And let’s throw that mistletoe at Jenny and Phoebe, I’m sure they will appreciate it as much as we did.”

Freddie laughed softly, pecking her on the lips again.

\--

By the time the guests arrived, the tree was fully decorated and all the meals were done and ready. They all dressed in their best clothes; the kids in their adorable Christmas sweaters, Jane in a checkered button-up and Freddie in a beautiful blue dress. Phoebe and Jenny changed their floury aprons to a pink dress and a sleek button-up, respectively.

The band arrived first- well, their children, specifically, running into the house squealing. They immediately started chatting and giggling with Layla and Gabriel, ignoring the adults right away.

‘’Rude.” Regina chuckled. She opened her arms wide, letting Freddie run into them for a tight hug. ‘’Hey, there. Looking good.”

‘’So do you.” Freddie smiled warmly, eyeing the small bump beneath Regina’s dress. ‘’Who am I going to drink with now, huh?”

‘’I’m not pregnant…right now.” Joan joked. Freddie shook her head fondly, pulling her into a hug, too.

‘’You better not be. You have too many children already.”

‘’It’s just never enough of them.” Vincent grinned, wrapping an arm around her wife. Freddie had no doubt they were probably in the process of making another Deakling already, but she wouldn’t judge.

‘’You can drink with us, too.” Brianna offered. ‘’In fact, I brought you this.” She gestured at the bottle of wine Andrew produced with a flourish.

‘’Merry Christmas!” He said cheerfully, kissing Freddie on the cheek in a friendly manner.

‘’Well, come on in. Don’t just stand in the hallway.” Jane laughed, inviting their friends further inside.

‘’The tree looks beautiful!” Dominick said as soon as he stepped into the living room, one arm around Regina’s waist protectively. 

‘’Freddie has a good eye for these things.” Jane said proudly. She gestured to the long couch, and the guests took their seats. Jenny and Phoebe appeared with small appetizers and drinks, immediately setting the relaxed mood.

The doorbell rang again, and Freddie ran to get the door. She squealed and threw herself into Etta John’s arms, who picked her up playfully.

‘’Are we late?” Dinah asked softly, steering their two boys inside. Freddie shook her head, giving her a hug in greeting. 

‘’No, not at all. Come on in! You both look so good!”

‘’You’re not so bad yourself, you tart.” Etta joked, affectionately pinching Freddie’s waist. Shortly after they took their place in the living room, Petra Straker arrived with her usual flourish, already in a very good mood.

Freddie always preferred having lots of guests over; there was nothing she loved as much as the busy bustling of friends and family around, laughter and cheer filling the air. They decided to visit the Bulsaras and the Huttons the next day, because it would have been impossible to have that many people around- and, knowing from experience, it was better not to let the family near Petra or Kelly Everett, for example.

The dinner was absolutely perfect; everyone sang high praises of Phoebe and Jenny’s work, until they were blushing from embarrassment. Everything tasted simply heavenly, from the soups to the desserts, and they all ate until they felt slow and sluggish. The adults sipped on wine and eggnog (except for Regina), while the kids busied themselves with hot chocolate.

Freddie looked over those people, and her heart swell with happiness. She had so many amazing friends; all of them unique, but all of them a part of her family. She wouldn’t have a good Christmas without them.

Then she looked at her actual family- her dashing wife, her chatty daughter and her adorable son, and she felt like the happiest woman on Earth. Yes, Christmas was good in general- but it was perfect when she could celebrate it with the people she loved the most.

‘’Having fun?” Jane asked, nuzzling her cheek. Freddie smiled, leaning into her touch with a happy little sigh.

‘’Yes. It’s all perfect.”

There was so much love in Garden Lodge in general, but now the walls were filled with it to the point of bursting: Layla and Gabriel giving their parents a quick hug before they ran off to play with the other kids, the married couples and the lovers huddled together on the couch, friends laughing together with unabashed joy, Jane’s hand in hers- little snapshots of this wonderful evening, of this wonderful life she was living, all coming together in a beautiful picture.

And people still wondered why Freddie loved Christmas so much- well, they should just look at this scene, and then they would all understand.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have a certain scenario that you would like me to turn into a fic for this series, you can suggest it here in the comments, or on my tumblr, @bambirexwrites! :))


End file.
